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with Jekyll Contest in the subject. The contest ends the day after the final hour airs, on August 25th, after which the winner will be chosen randomly and notified via email. Only one entry per mailing address.
By Christina Radish
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James Nesbitt at the BBC America presentation for the Television Critics Association Press Tour held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. on July 13, 2007. | Set in the present day and starring James Nesbitt (Murphy’s Law, Cold Feet)in the title role, Jekyll is a chilling, and often shocking, thriller about a man whose life is literally split in half. Mr. Hyde is everything that the repressed Dr. Jackman (Jekyll) is not. Hyde is a narcissistic newborn in a grown man’s body, and his equal passion for booze, prostitutes, Disney movies and violence grows stronger each time Jackman drops his guard, and they both realize that Hyde will not be chained up forever.
Talking to MediaBlvd Magazine about what it’s like to find the balance between the reserved Jackman and the psychotic Hyde, the 42-year-old Irish actor says that Jekyll is the type of project that an actor waits his entire life for.
MediaBlvd Magazine> For American audiences that might not be familiar with you and your work, where are you from and how did you got into acting?
James Nesbitt> I’m from a very rural area, called County Antrim, in Northern Ireland. I was the only boy, with three older sisters. They were all my teachers, and my father was my primary school headmaster. We then moved to a bigger town. I used to sing a lot at festivals, and I did a bit of acting when I was younger. There was a local theatre with a professional company and I did Artful Dodger in Oliver, and things like that. I started a French degree, and then packed it in and went to drama school in London. I began to do a lot of work. I was doing theater work. My first film was Hear my Song. And then, I was doing television roles on things like Ballykissangel, Boon and Touching Evil. Then Cold Feet came along, which just generated work for me.
MediaBlvd> How did you come to be involved with Jekyll?
James> I was actually with my agent and we went to see the Commissioning Editor of Drama on BBC1 to talk to her about another season of a cop show I did, called Murphy’s Law. At the end of the meeting, she said, “Yeah, we’ll do another one of those,” which was great, but then she said, “Actually, I’ve got something else you might be interested to see.” It was in the very early stages, but the scripts were more or less in place. So, she sent me Jekyll and I read it, and it was actually astonishing to read. It just leapt off the page. It was exciting and original, inventive and quirky, and something you wait for, all your life. I went to meet Steven Moffat, the writer, and Executive Producer Beryl Vertue, and a couple of the other producers, and we talked a couple of times, and then it was there. So, I knew I was doing it for a long time. The build up and the anticipation was probably more terrifying than the actual doing of it, to tell you the truth. It felt momentous, in a sense. And then, the actual doing of it was, again, terrifying, but also very liberating and exhilarating and, ultimately, very satisfying.
MediaBlvd> Was part of the attraction to doing this the fact that it wasn’t a re-telling of the same Jekyll & Hyde story, but was more of an original film?
James> The attraction wasn’t that I was going to be in Jekyll & Hyde. The attraction was that there were two great parts within one person. I never really viewed it as a version of Jekyll & Hyde. From my point of view, it was just about these two great characters, and trying to present them in a believable way. It was 14 or 15 weeks of very hard, intensive work. It flew by, but it also felt like a lifetime’s work as well.
MediaBlvd> How did you go about developing the subtle differences between the two characters? How did you know when you’d found the right balance?
James> There was a Victorian Hyde, who was monstrous and violent. Steven’s take on it was that this modern Hyde was seductive and cool and, dare I say, sexy. It took a bit of work. There was a lot of conversation. We knew there wasn’t just going to be make-up differences. It wasn’t going to be monstrous, nor hugely different. I was certainly helped by the different lenses and a little bit of prosthetic work, but it was really more about finding the truth of the characters and, once you find that, the physicality comes as a result of that. In terms of playing Hyde, that was just about being brave and throwing it out there. Once I did that on the first day, and it seemed to work, then I could do whatever the hell I wanted with that. I loved that. I looked so forward to doing that because it was the opportunity to really show off. Jackman was harder because it was trying to present this rather tortured soul, in a light that we could relate to. But, if you’re backed up by good writing, it all fits into place. You don’t have to do much. It’s incredible. I could show you how people move and tell you what kind of people they are from how they move. I remember doing animal study at drama school, and I used to think, “What the fuck? What am I doing this for?” But, actually, it has all made sense. It was very interesting for me to experience how, just by doing a very little thing, like moving the angle of a head or the movement of a hand, you can really play different characters. Somewhere in my memory, I was able to tap into the notion that you only have to do very small things to often make quite a big difference. It was a better approach than having me go behind the sofa and then come up with a hairy arm, or something. It was much more to do with projection. There was also a bit of work on the nose. The depressing thing was having to not only hand in the wigs at the end of the day, but to hand in your nose and chin.
MediaBlvd> Did you intend to make this shocking, appalling character likeable, or did that just happen?
James> If I was deliberate about anything, I was probably deliberate about that. I think it’s important that the audience finds something attractive about Hyde. They don’t necessarily have to have empathy with him, but certainly find something appealing about him. So, that was quite tricky to pitch right, and not just create a monster. I think the way of doing that was to find the child because it’s hard to hate a child. And, I think the childish elements of Hyde are what makes him forgivable, at times.
 MediaBlvd> Can you talk about working with Michelle Ryan (the star of NBC’s upcoming Bionic Woman), who plays Jackman’s assistant? Were there ever moments when you worried about scaring her, in the times that you were playing Hyde? James> No, I was not. Michelle has more balls than me. She’s great. In England, we sometimes forget how young she is because she’s been a soap star for a long time, but she’s a committed, hard-working actress. She takes the project seriously, but doesn’t take herself too seriously. The balance that is the hardest to achieve in success is to take the work seriously, but not to take oneself too seriously. She was brilliant to work with. I’ve always thought of myself as the young member of the company, but of course, I’m not. I’m a middle-aged guy. I’m getting on a bit. And, she was very keen to learn things. She’s also funny, sexy, talented and cool. She’s great to work with. The girl will do very well. She’s ambitious, in the right way. She’s a good girl.
MediaBlvd> How was working with Gina Bellman, who plays Jackman’s wife?
James> Gina was fabulous. I spent a lot more time with Gina than anyone else, and that was brilliant. We were constantly trying to pitch where we were in the story. It’s a mad tale, but Gina was incredible supportive and worked hard. It was a joy to do the job.
MediaBlvd> What scares you?
James> One of the other notions about the show is that there’s an element of a mid-life crisis, to some extent, which Jackman is going through. If anything scares me, it’s getting a bit older and thinking, “What have I achieved? What have I left the kids? What have I got ahead of me?” In doing this show, you don’t really think, “I’ve got to be scary, in this moment. I’ve got to be funny in this moment.” You’re just playing the characters. The most terrifying thing I’ve ever confronted in my life was having to play this character. But, getting through it also made it the most rewarding job I’ve done.
MediaBlvd> Are you ever surprised at what you can get away with on British television, as opposed to American television?
James> I find the idea that there’s a lowering of standards because of bad language interesting. I think there’s a lowering of standards because of war. I think the least of our worries should be what people are saying on television. I think we should worry about what people are doing in the government. What’s odd to me is the death penalty. That’s absurd. But, someone saying, “Fuck!,” on television doesn’t really bother me that much.
MediaBlvd> What has the experience of Murphy’s Law been like, now that you’re working as a Creative Consultant, in addition to playing the title role?
James> I didn’t used to. We did the pilot, and then we did the first two seasons, and it was fine. It went well, but it felt as if it was coming to the end of its life. But, I knew that there was something in the character that we could take further, and I persuaded the BBC to do so. So, we got new writers and a new producer, and we were influenced by things like The Shield and CSI. We made it much darker and grittier, and we enlisted the help of one of the main undercover cops from the 80's and 90's in London, of which there are only a handful who really live that very dark life. It almost becomes a different show and, ultimately, I think it’s much better. It’s something I feel very close to because I am involved with it, creatively. The Murphy that we have now is someone who would be very suspicious of actors, and very suspicious of cop shows. I worked really hard on creating that new Murphy, in everything from the way he stood to the way he talked to the way he acts in situations. It was about getting the pieces and throwing them together.
MediaBlvd> Now that you’ve worked as a Creative Consultant, do you want to get more involved with the production side of things?
James> I have a production company, but it’s about trying to find the right project. I have a couple of things developing, at the moment, hopefully. It gives you more control. It gives you more freedom.
MediaBlvd> You’ve had success with both Murphy’s Law and Cold Feet, which are two very different types of projects. Do you prefer doing lighter, more comedic work, or do you prefer the heavier drama?
James> I don’t really make any conscious decisions like that. I don’t think, “Well, I’ve done that, so I should now do this.” Cold Feet wasn’t a million miles away from me, I have to say, and I was involved with the writing of that, in that we changed things a lot to suit me and the voice I use. But, comedy is hard.
MediaBlvd> Is there something that you get recognized for most often?
James> It changes and evolves. For years, it was Cold Feet. And, I’ve done a series of very successful commercials, so I got recognized for that. Then, it was Murphy’s Law. Now, it’s Jekyll. It changes. But, it’s an odd thing when people are crossing the road to tell you how scary you are.
MediaBlvd> Do you want to do more work in the States?
James> I’d like to work anywhere, really. I recently saw Paul Greengrass, who directed Bloody Sunday and is now directing the Bourne films. I’d love to come here and work with him. I either love to work or I love to be with my family. The notion of me coming here and sitting around for a long time, waiting for something, doesn’t really appeal to me. But, I’d love to work here, and I’d love to work at home.
MediaBlvd> What do you think the difference is in the pressures of fame in the UK, as opposed to the States?
James> It’s pretty invasive at home. I’ve had my run-ins with the press. But, if you keep yourself to yourself then you’ll be left alone. If you put yourself out there, you can get into difficulties. I’m used to it, but whether or not my family is, I don’t know. The kids don’t really care about it, but I think it’s odd for my wife and my friends. It’s just quite odd if everyone knows you. Everyone in the UK knows me, and that’s an odd thing. I’m not saying that with arrogance, or anything. That’s just the way it is. It is quite an odd existence, I suppose. You can either court it or avoid it, and I tend to try to avoid it.
MediaBlvd> Are there certain types of roles that you’re looking for now, or specific things that attract you to a project?
James> Good writing, and things that are different. I’m hoping now to go to Morocco and do Pontius Pilate in six half-hour dramas about The Passion. And then, I think I’m playing a character who’s a journalist with some sort of condition, where he can’t go out in daylight. I’m just looking for different things. I’m very lucky to be in the position where I can do that.
MediaBlvd> Are there particular characters that you’d like to explore, if you had the opportunity?
James> I want to do a musical film. I’m going to do a musical film before I die. I also want to make a good British love story. I don’t think that we’re very good at doing love stories in England. I think they’re very good at doing them here. I want to do a musical love story, where I get eight musicians to write eight different songs that will carry through the film. That’s my next thing. That’s the opus that I want to do.
MediaBlvd> Since you were initially reluctant to start an acting career, are you ever surprised with success that you’ve achieved?
James> Constantly! I think it’s absolutely absurd. I think it’s absurd when I get a job. I just can’t believe it. But, I also know that I work hard and I’m alright at it. It’s not all luck. But, I’m aware of the fragility of it. I’ve worked hard and I’ve been lucky enough to have good scripts. The success thing is weird, though.
MediaBlvd> Why is your work with UNICEF so important to you?
James> It’s a privilege really. I’m a UNICEF Ambassador. I was in the Sudan two months ago, doing a piece on Chad soldiers. I was in Zambia last year, covering the HIV pandemic and how it’s robbing children of an education. There is a bit of cynicism out there about how celebrities, or actors, jump on this bandwagon. But, for me, I get an enormous amount out of it and, if I can raise some money for it, then good. There’s a lot of bad shit out there, and those stories need to be told. If I’m in the position to tell those stories, then that’s well and good. It’s incredible. It’s only through an accident of birth that some children have a shit life and some don’t, and that’s the terrible thing. And, it’s because of that accident of birth that we should look after those children that grow up in situations that you and I can scarcely believe. When I spoke to Chad soldiers about what their lives were, it is terrifying and wrong, and it’s important that someone tells those stories so that these children are given an opportunity too. All of them want to make sure it doesn’t happen to their children. |
